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Thursday, March 15, 2018

Legislator asks for outside scoring of marijuana applications

State Rep. Scott Baltz of Pocahontas, who'd earlier raised questions about checking of tax deficiencies among applications for medical marijuana cultivation permits, has suggested that outside evaluators be used to re-score the applications.

Baltz made the recommendation in a letter to Larry Walther, director of the Finance and Administration Department, and copied to Gov. Asa Hutchinson and members of the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Commission. It said a lawsuit filed this week and other public complaints "warrant a reconsideration of the current administrative process." For that reasons, he suggests judging by an "out-of-state, independent firm." The Commission then would use those numbers to award permits. "I'm convinced such a process would be credible and impartial," he wrote.

DFA spokesman Scott Hardin said the department was preparing a response. Circuit Judge Wendell Griffen has a hearing scheduled Friday on whether to issue a preliminary injunction against award of permits because of questions about scoring of applications.

Wesley Clark, the retired NATO commander from Little Rock, writes critically today in the Washington Post about Donald Trump as commander in chief.

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What's purported to be a final-words essay from condemned prisoner Kenneth Williams was distributed today by Deborah Robinson, a freelance journalist in Arkansas. He reflects on his execution, his victims, reactions of inmates and big servings of fried chicken, which he says are given to all inmates on execution days.

People hospitalized for a respiratory-related illness at UAMS were twice as likely to rent a property that at some point has been issued a mold-related violation notice from Little Rock's Code Enforcement Division when compared to a control population adjusted for demographic differences.

Little Rock police have identified two women found dead of gunshot wounds in an SUV parked next to a vacant trailer in a mobile home park at 11500 Chicot Road.

Slideshows

Arkansas vs Ole Miss at War Memorial stadium in Little Rock, Saturday, Oct. 13, 2018. After leading for much of the game, Arkansas lost 37-33 when Ole Miss scored the game winning Touchdown with less that 2 minutes left.